


time on my hands could be time spent with you

by venusplease



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Pining, Sam doesn’t exist, coffee shop AU, multichapter? i hardly know her, no beta we die like fools, they’re pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venusplease/pseuds/venusplease
Summary: Ted is a barista at this new coffee shop down the street. Charlotte’s coworkers told her to check it out. She’s glad they did.[title: i guess that’s why they call it the blues-elton john]
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

Charlotte always made certain to be early for work. It was her reprieve, her familiarity, something that could be good when home life wasn’t. Usually, she would be the first one there and the one to brew a pot of coffee. Another ritual, something to make her feel important. When she walked in on this Monday in October, however, Paul was already sitting at his desk with a paper cup next to his computer. She frowned and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh, hi, Charlotte,” he said.

“Where’d you get that? Y-you never come in with your own coffee.”

“Ah, yeah! See, this new coffee shop opened about a block away from the office. ‘S called Beanies, it’s really nice. I went over the weekend with Emma, we really liked it. You should check it out!” Paul seemed pretty content this morning, which was a nice reprieve from the chronically nervous man she saw most days.

“But, uh, well, I’m here already, it’s almost nine, and—”

“Nah, it’ll be fine.”

She nodded an okay and walked back outside. The October sunrise was late, and so the light was shining almost directly into her eyes. She grabbed a pair of cat-eye sunglasses from her car before walking the block to this ‘Beanies’, pulling her long jacket tighter around her as the autumn wind blew her curls across her face.

~~~~

It had been a slow morning at Beanies. “It’s not what it’s always like,” Nora reassured, but Ted wasn’t certain about that. They’d been open for a week already and he was one of their first hires, and so far it had been exactly like this. Their coffee was overpriced, their atmosphere was mediocre at best, and there was a Starbucks just down the street. Nora had just walked into the back room when the bell jingled to signify a customer. He put on his best customer service smile as he looked up to see a doe-eyed, auburn-haired woman glancing around, surveying the space.

“Welcome to Beanies,” he said. Her face lit up at the greeting and he couldn’t help the inexplicable warm feeling that flooded to his heart. She seemed extraordinarily kind and effortlessly beautiful just from the first glance. He couldn’t wait to speak to her.

As she approached the front counter, she returned the smile he had given her and looked up at the menu board, tapping a steady rhythm on the counter’s surface. He leaned forward, clasping both hands together just inches from hers. He wasn’t going to try anything, but…

“What’ll it be?” His tone was smooth and steady. She continued to look at the menu board for a few seconds, blinking as her eyes flitted from line to line and her tapping picked up in pace. She seemed nervous. Eventually she broke out of her haze with a sharp gasp.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m taking so long. Um… okay, what would you recommend?” She finally lowered her gaze to properly take him in. He appeared suave, kind, a little mischievous, but overall warm and friendly. She read his hand-printed name tag: Ted. That was simple, she’d remember that.

“Ah, well, I’m a fan of the chai iced tea, but if you’re lookin’ for coffee, you can’t go wrong with a classic iced caramel macchiato or a cold brew. If you’re lookin’ for something hot, well, that’s right here.” He winked and she laughed. He was charming, she had to admit.

“Okay, I’ll try the caramel macchiato. Uh, not iced, please.”

“Sure thing. Can I get your name?” Ted wasn’t ashamed to admit that one of his favourite parts of the job was getting to learn the names of attractive people on company time. And he was certainly going to remember this name.

“Charlotte.”

“Alright then, Charlotte, that’ll be four sixty-five.” She pulled a five dollar bill out of her jacket pocket and handed it to him, their fingertips brushing against each other as they exchanged the paper. He swiftly opened the register and handed back her change, which she promptly dropped in the tip jar with a soft smile. He smiled back. “I’ll have that ready for you in just a moment.” She nodded and stepped to the side.

He started working on the drink. It was simple, thank god, because he didn’t know if he’d be able to succeed at anything more complicated and he wanted her to enjoy it. After all, happy customers come back.

She stood with her hands shoved in her jacket pockets, a soft smile painted across her face. Her expression was happier than her usual troubled look, like she’d seen something for the first time. Maybe she had.

After a couple of minutes, he set the drink down on the counter. “Charlotte?” He called. She was still the only one waiting, but it made her happy to hear her name anyway. She grabbed hold of the paper cup and smiled warmly.

“Thanks, Ted.” And she left again. He hoped to God she’d be back.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlotte had begun to frequent Beanies even more than Paul. She insisted otherwise, of course; they went together more often than not, and how did her coworkers really know it was her car outside on Monday evening and Thursday before work? They don’t mention that she’s the only person they know who still drives a Saturn Ion.

This particular day they went after work and Paul’s girlfriend, Emma, was working, as was Ted. Emma got the job about two weeks after opening. Paul was very happy about that; it justified his frequent coffee trips, even though he wasn’t really one who needed justification when it came to coffee.

Charlotte needed the justification. And she had it, she just would rather not admit it.

It wasn’t particularly busy this day, even though it was pouring buckets outside. Charlotte chalked the quiet up to the hour; she assumed not many folks in Hatchetfield wanted a coffee at 6pm. She pushed open the door, Paul quick to follow behind, and she shook some water out of her hair with a soft laugh.

Ted was pretty glad he worked the register that day. It had been very quiet for the past couple of hours, so hearing the bell chime was a relief no matter what. When he looked to the door to see the cute regular, he brightened that much more.

“Afternoon, Charlotte,” he grinned. She turned her head, curls bouncing, and smiled brightly.

“It’s six o’clock, I wouldn’t call that the afternoon anymore.”

“Well, then, good evening. What can I get for you today?”

“Can I have a hot chocolate with… with some sort of flavour shot in it? You pick,” she smiled.

“No coffee?”

“It’s six o’clock, remember?”

“That doesn’t stop me,” he joked. He wrote the order on a cup, specifying a raspberry flavour shot- his favourite. “Alright, is that everything for ya?” She shook her head and turned to her coworker.

“What do you want, Paul?” He looked up and made a ‘no’ motion with his hand, but she didn’t take it. “C’mon, I said it’s my treat.”

“Uh, just black coffee,” he said, clearly looking past Ted, who wrote out that order with a tight smile. He had absolutely no reason to think anything of this man who came in with Charlotte. Nothing. Why would he care, anyway? There were plenty of cute Beanies regulars, not just Charlotte. But Charlotte...

“That’s five-fifty,” is all he said.

She handed him a ten. “Keep the change.”

“You sure?” He gripped the bill loosely in his hand, genuinely asking. She nodded and smiled yet again, that smile that could soften his own so easily. “M’kay. Uh, Emma’ll get that ready for you guys.” Paul brightened a little at the mention of his girlfriend. He retreated to a table, but Charlotte lingered at the serving counter, tracing patterns on the granite. After about a minute of no new customers coming in, Ted made his way over to her.

“Y’have a good day?” he asked, leaning against the counter. She perked up even at the small question.

“Work was a bit of a drag, but Paul and I had plans to come by, so that made it easier to get through,” she explained.

“Paul, that’s…” Ted pointed in the direction of where the aforementioned Paul was sitting and staring at the rain. Charlotte nodded.

“My coworker. He told me about this place, actually. Whole reason I came here.” Ted hummed in response. Coworker. Nothing else? He shouldn’t assume, but…

Just before he could ask something (although he didn’t quite know what), Emma slammed the two drinks on the counter beside Ted. He jumped briefly but scowled at her, and she stuck her tongue out in retaliation. 

“Paul, babe, your coffee’s ready,” she called. Paul grinned and walked up to the counter, and Ted relaxed significantly now that he knew where everyone stood, relationship-wise. Why did he care so much whether or not Charlotte had a thing with Paul? It didn’t affect him, did it?

Charlotte, still focused on the interaction between Emma and Ted, couldn’t help a small laugh as Paul returned to his table and she took her own drink.

“What’s with that?”

“Just Emma. She’s a bit… much, but I say we’re friends,” he explained.

“I’m a bit much? Dude, come on, have you met you?” Emma called from across the cafe.

“Shut the fuck up!” This got Charlotte laughing again, light and musical, and Ted’s face broke into its own grin. “We’re friends, I swear.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” She took a sip of her drink, eyes widening at the pleasant surprise. “This raspberry?”

“Er, yeah, do you… like it?” Why was he nervous? Get a grip, Ted, it’s just a… a pretty girl. Yeah, okay, he knew those well, but it’d never been this difficult.

“I love it, oh my god,” she said, taking another sip. “Fuckin’ genius.”

“Well, glad you like it.” Charlotte gave him one more smile before heading to the table Paul had occupied for them. Ted picked up a cloth and started wiping down the counter, definitely not staring at her, bright and cheerful, an excellent contrast to the dreary weather outside. No, he certainly wasn’t staring, who gave you that idea?

~~~~

Beanies closed at nine, and Emma left with Paul at eight. Ted could take care of the last hour just fine, and cleanup got done before closing itself most days, so it wasn’t a problem. Today was no different.

Well, maybe it was a little different.

Charlotte stayed late, too. After Paul left, she pulled out a book, some period fiction piece with a floral design on the cover. Ted was definitely still (not) looking at her. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, lips parted, and fingers drumming on the cafe table. She was…fuck, she was cute.

Ted served two more customers in that last hour, both fairly simple and both leaving right after receiving their drinks. The rain was still coming down steadily, perhaps harder than it had been all day.

“Closin’ time,” he called. Charlotte lifted her head. Once she registered what he said, she slammed her book closed and started scrambling to pack up her things.

“Oh, my god, I’m so sorry, I’ll-“

“It’s okay, just lettin’ you know. D’you have a way home?” Ted asked.

“Uh, yeah, I drove here. Just left my car at the office. Do you?” She tried shoving her book in her bag, pulling more things out to make it fit properly. He rubbed the back of his neck, still watching her.

“I walked, actually. I’m not too far though, maybe twenty minutes.”

“Twenty- do you… do you want a ride?” Her tone was nonchalant, or as nonchalant as she could make it. She definitely couldn’t show even the tiniest bit of excitement she felt at spending proper time with the cute barista. But she smiled anyway, and that made him cave.

“If it’s not too much trouble… you really don’t have to though.”

“Look at that rain! I’m not lettin’ you walk in this weather,” she said. “CCRP is about three minutes away, that’s much better.”

He nodded and she finished packing up her bag. He let her leave first, then shut off the lights, locked the front door, and thanked the coffee gods for this opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘cliffhanger’ cause i’ve had this in my drafts for a long time and i wanted to POST  
> i said established!paulkins rights, as a treat  
> also took from mo raspberry pump rights because they are correct

**Author's Note:**

> my first multichapter in, like, four years baybeeee! i can’t promise when the next part will come, though, because i have absolutely no idea


End file.
